


Scarlet Memories

by murder_meadow



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canon Lesbian Character, F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Neopronouns, Nonbinary Character, Slow Burn, Trans Character, nonbinary lesbian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-29 01:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murder_meadow/pseuds/murder_meadow
Summary: the agents meet for the first time, having a grand chase through Octo Valley...
Relationships: Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon), Callie/Pearl (Splatoon), Marie/Marina (Splatoon)
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

the sun beat down on the land of Octo Valley, casting long shadows as it slowly made its descent to lick the horizon. an inkling walked through the floating rocks, doing the usual perimeter check, accompanied by the prized Captain Cuttlefish, leader of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. The sun was bright on hys pale skin, and hys dark blue eyes were a stark contrast to the fading blue sky. Juniper never liked the sun, and very much wished it was cloudier. _but what can you expect, it's summer._ hy thought.

suddenly, an octoling hopped down from a platform, landing just a few squid-lengths away from the patrolling inklings. a grim expression rested on her face, she looked focused on something else before her brows went up, realizing who was in front of her. She wore the standard octarian uniform, except without the goggles. Juniper took a moment to think about that, _were they touched by the Calamari Inkantation? Is it really as powerful as they say?_ The octo murmured something in octarian, and began to turn away when the captain exclaimed while pointing his bamboozler cane at the new person, “octoling! Agent 3, do your job!”. The agent hesitated, once again remembering the part hy really hated about hys job. Attacking innocent octarians. With a sigh hy grabbed hys hero shot, and at the same moment the octoling grabbed her own octo shot, widening her legs into a defensive stance. Juniper nearly had a look of pleading in hys eyes, hoping the octopus would flee. Hys face was instead reflected by a determined stare, the octoling clearly not wanting to stand down.

Suddenly, she ran, twisting through the rocks and other obstacles the valley held. With regret, the agent chased after her, hys lythe shape allowing for quick speed. But the octoling had a slight advantage, having known the area and technology well. She leaped from outcrop to outcrop, eventually leading the trailing inklings to the valley's edge, where they faced the forest that led up to Mount Nantai. Once the yellow haired squid caught up with her, she turned to the agent with a challenging smirk, then leaped onto the crumbling rock and swaying grasses. "shit-" hy said under hys breath before jumping the gap after her, almost falling before catching a hold. the octoling was already a fair bit into the woods, the only thing showing where she was was the blur of the black uniform on her brown skin and the contrasting pink of her tentacles. Junipers breath came in ragged breaths as hys energy soon ran out. just as hy caught up with hys target, an eerie laugh came from behind a tree. it sounded just like an elite octolings voice, but higher pitched and oddly static. the inkling let out a tired breath, laced with panic. "don't mess with me, octoling. I won't fall for your traps." hy barked with a bitter look, panic and annoyance raising hys guard and hys attitude. The octoling looked back at hym, brows furrowed in confusion. a spark of panic twinkled in her eyes as well.

Suddenly, a group of octolings with bright green skin strode out from behind the trees. they moved unnaturally stiffly, and their tentacles were a dark blue that ended in a turquoise fade. as they got closer, Juniper noticed they reeked of cleaning supplies. both confused teens stared at them, lifting their weapons. but it proved to do nothing, as they continued to advance and lift their own weapons as well. Just as a battle was about to begin, Captain Cuttlefish came up from behind and yelped a surprise. "ambush!" he cried, just as the sickly coloured octolings rained down on them and knocked them all unconscious.


	2. Chapter One: the NILS fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the grand battle against the clock leaves lots of stress on Agent 8s shoulders... Agent 3 awakes to a ruckus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juniper: hy/it/rot/ink/plui
> 
> Mara: she/her

-🐙-

the hum of the elevator filled the area, the lights bright and reflecting off the white surroundings. Captain Cuttlefish hung upside down from a circular floating platform, and Agent 3 lay unconscious at the octolings feet. Agent 8 crouched down to get a better look at the inkling, her eyes immediately being drawn to the raw, red burn scar that covered an entire half of rots face, along with half of rots ear. _rots headphones must've been taken off somehow…_ she pondered, staring a bit closer at the inflamed skin. specks of turquoise ink still lingered on the torn area, seeping into it. she looked at it in curiosity and concern. before she could think any more, the elevator halted at the bottom of a ladder. Mara looked up and realized she should probably untie the old captain so he could help her carry the other agent up the ladder. she got up from her crouch, and lifted her arms to untie the inkling she considered to be a friend. _He's still… weird with octolings, but he's making an effort at least._ she absently thought as she lowered him to the ground. "thank you, Agent 8. now let's get to the surface!" he exclaimed, and she responded with a nod.

a cold wind whipped around the three figures that emerged from the structure, truly showing the time that had passed ever since they first fell. Mara looked around, bringing up a hand to keep her flying tentacles from getting into her face. the setting sun cast a glow on her skin, and she stood tall and proud. she was proud of all that she did, although it left her with a scar that traced all along the bottom of her left eye. At first the shock of regaining all her memories was a bit much, but now she was excited to get back to her brother and family with tons of stories to tell. _maybe me and that inkling can properly meet again._ she thought with a smile on her face, and the same determined twinkle in her eye. The music of Off the Hook began to come into earshot, and Mara looked up to see Pearl and Marina standing in a helicopter, surrounded by a bunch of smaller ones as well. her smile grew even wider as they super jumped to join them.

**\---**

the giant NILS statue stood tall above her, and foreboding sunk in her gut. _come on, Mara. you've faced many things before. a giant statue controlled by some sentient telephone won't hurt you._ she tried to convince herself as the timer counted down to one, and she could begin the massive task of exploding each of Marinas hyperbombs. she set off as soon as she could, making quick work of turfing as her mind wandered. _Mom and dad always said how I was so resilient. well, look at me now!_ she thought with lighthearted annoyance, her breath coming in quick gasps as she tried to calm herself of the stress that pressed on her shoulders as she rode an inkrail. the timer was counting down quicker than she ever imagined.

30 seconds left.

just as she was getting used to riding the fast moving rails, her footing slipped. "stupid high heels-" was all she could utter before she landed on a ride rail meters below where she first stood. time seemed to slow as she fell, the wind grazing her skin and waving her hair as she fell almost gracefully downwards, her body slowly turning to see her companions looks of pure distress. just as quickly as she fell, she hit the rail on her hip with a loud cry. the metal ripped through her skin, tearing and clawing at everything inside of her, and black blood oozed out the wound as freely as a river. the pain was agonizing, and her face twisted into a pained grimace. she gritted her teeth, turning her body and falling into the ink below. tears welled in her eyes and fell freely, mixing with the blood. _I can't give up now. I can't lose my home to a thing that's all alone._ she thought, as she climbed back into a ride rail and made her way to the top.

20 seconds.

the black liquid fell from her and landed in the pink ink below, creating a ghastly mixture. moving anything sent agony rippling through her, and her head began to spin. _I have to do this._ she thought as she finally reached the top, shooting each bomb no matter how much pain it caused her. she was hyperventilating at this point, vision getting black and hazy.

0 seconds.

Finally, Mara fell from a ride rail once again and landed on a helicopter platform. she let out a gasp, shaking and still bleeding onto the black platform. she looked up to see her companions cheering her on, and was filled with just enough raw strength to super jump back over to them. she landed to a skidding halt, being grabbed by the foot by Pearl before being dragged onto the safety of the platform. "EIGHT!" Marina cried, tears swelling from her eyes and falling down her cheeks. Mara gave a lopsided smile, before her vision completely gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Marina was panicking, Pearl was bouncing on her feet nervously, and Cuttlefish looked as if he was going to burst from worry. He ripped a large piece off of the unconscious Agent 3s cape, and pressed it against her hip. she could feel the rough material hit the raw skin and let out a cry. "shhh, rest. the pain will go away soon." the captain said calmly, keeping a firm hold on the fabric. though the pain was unbearable, her head began to loosen and she opened her eyes to see Pearl taking out a giant megaphone, and screaming right into it with massive "BOOYAH!".

The fight was spectacular, and soon enough Tartars prized world destroying statue was taking its turn to blow up.

Mara let out a cough, which racked more pain through her, but she was getting used to it at this point. _Micah always said I was too brave, too outgoing. well, guess he was proven right._ she thought with a smirk. "can you sit up now?" Cap'n asked, and she nodded. she shifted herself up so she could get a proper look at things, and as she did Cuttlefish wrapped the cape around her waist with a tight knot. a flurry of emotions were running rampant through her chest, but the biggest one was pride. She was proud of herself and her accomplishments. and she was overjoyed to start a new life.

-🦑-

Agent 3 woke to hushed conversations, and a brilliant sunset caressing the horizon. the sky was full of fluffy clouds, and beyond them was a blazing orange sky with hints of pinks, enveloped by a darkening blue. plui turned pluis gaze towards the people surrounding plui. a silence fell once everyone realized plui was awake. "and you're finally awake, agent." Captain Cuttlefish cracked with a jab to pluis side, but a grim expression rested on his face. "what- what did I miss?" plui asked, before a cough racked through plui. pluis head hurt like hell, and pain coursed through the whole half of pluis face. just as Juniper asked that, plui noticed the octoling sitting partially upright beside plui, a pained grimace on her face. plui noticed how part of pluis cape was wrapped around her waist, and plui furrowed pluis brows in confusion. the Captain looked at plui with remorse, before beginning to explain.

"so, while you were knocked out again, me and Agent 8 got outside of the metro and made it onto Off the Hooks helicopter. but just as we did, a giant human statue came out of the ocean and was controlled by Commander Tartar, aka the Telephone. it went on a whole rant about how bad our races were, but we managed to destroy it. but during the process, Agent 8… got very injured. so now we're going back to the cabin in Tentakeel Outpost to get you two fixed back up." he remarked, while everyone else had grim expressions. Mara tried to give a smile, but it was pain ridden and sad. Juniper stared in shock, taking all the information in. After sitting silent for a moment, plui nodded in understanding.

_guess I've got a lot coming up ahead for me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two should be out not too long from now, or whenever I finish
> 
> 🦑🐙💕


	3. Chapter Two: Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the crew makes it back home, but pain rests within them all.
> 
> an odd presence arises.
> 
> Mara visits an old... friend, of sorts.
> 
> content warning: headaches, blood, inner voices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juniper: rot/hy/ink/it/plui
> 
> Mara: she/her
> 
> Pearl: he/she/spark/rot
> 
> Marina: she/her
> 
> Callie: she/he/they
> 
> Marie: she/her

The night sky that engulfed the Canyon was a deep blue, freckled by glittering stars. The warm air rested in Juniper's lungs as they all made their way back to the renovated Cuttlefish Cabin, where medical supplies, warm food, and rooms rested behind its safe wooden walls. As hy stared up at the expense of dark cobalt above hym, hy almost felt like hy could float up and swim in the stars. The others around hym seemed stressed and tired, exhausted from such a peculiar and action filled day. Cap’n walked slowly, his old cuttlebones creaking with each step. Pearl fidgeted with his hands, looking a bit overwhelmed and overstimulated. Marina bore a similar attitude, her tentacles waving and curling anxiously. She looked on the verge of tears, constantly sending glances towards the octoling beside her. And finally, Mara looked very pained. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but the scrap of cape around her waist was clotted with black blood. Each step sent a grimace along her face, and she walked with a limp, but she managed to keep going with an almost dangerous spark in her eye.

Juniper looked at her with pure admiration. Never in hys life would hy have imagined that hy’d be strong enough to withstand something like that. That thought brought some sadness to hys expression. _Never in my life… I've always been such a coward. I had to be strong because Cap’n made me. But was I ever, truly strong?_ Hy thought, before a splitting headache racked through hys head. **_You were strong with me. I can make you strong once again._** said a voice with a metallic tone in hys head. Hy stopped in hys tracks, bringing a hand to hys head with disdain. “Who are you…” hy whispered to seemingly no one, as hy stared at the ground. The group was a few steps ahead of hym when they realized hy had stopped.

“Agent 3? Are you okay?” Mara asked, though pain laced her voice as if it hurt to talk. Juniper's eyes seemed locked to the ground, unable to look up through the headache. The thought almost sent hym reeling. The octoling had a worried look on her face, clearly unsure of what to do. After a moment of silence from both parties, Captain Cuttlefish stepped forward and gently grabbed hym by the wrist. “Hy’s still processing. Let's get to the cabin so we can all rest.” he said, the light of the lanterns surrounding them setting a soft pink glow on his face. Only now did hy notice that Pearl's tentacles and freckles were illuminated as well, as if they were lit by themselves. Cap’n gave hys hand a tug, and they all began walking the last few steps into the cabin.

The smell of seaweed stew flooded hys nose as hy walked into the home, being the last to enter. The sight sent a flood of nostalgia through hym, hy remembered what it was like walking in here for the first time. Hy had been staying with Cap’n as hys only home for awhile after doing all those missions in Octo Valley, and now hy finally had a _place_ to call home ever since… hy ran away from hys terrible houselife. Callie and Marie grew to be like older siblings, always fussing over hym and making sure hy was safe after all that happened.

Hy looked up to see Marie at the stove stirring a pot of the aforementioned stew. She had a shocked look on her face, looking at all the newcomers. “What are you all doing here? Who’s the octoling?” she asked as she walked closer, spotting the agent standing at the back of the group. “Agent 3! What happened to you?” she threw another question before going silent. Her hand rose up to cover mouth in shock, and she took a step back to look at everyone once again. Her gaze went to meet Marinas, as if by instinct, and Marina shared a look of concern. “We just came back from a long trip.. I’ll explain everything in a moment, but first we all need to sit down.” the octoling said, reaching out a clawed hand towards Marie, with her taking it automatically. Marinas tentacles slowed down just a bit, showing that Marie's presence clearly calmed her down a bit. After a moment, Pearl looked up to say "is Callie here?". his voice sounded tired but hopeful, he clearly wanted to see the other Cuttlefish cousin as much as Marina. Marie nodded with a small smirk, "yea, she came to welcome Gramps back as well." she explained, before turning to the hallway, "CALLIE! we've got company!" she shouted down the hall.

A few seconds later, a black haired inkling came running down the hallway, their hair untied and slightly grazing the floor. they skidded to a halt upon seeing the huge group, a confused look on their face. "that's more than just Gramps-" they remarked jokingly, with an awkward laugh. Pearl rushed forward to give Callie a hug, which seemed to startle them at first, but they quickly sank into it as well. The hug was tight with yearning, _they must've really missed each other._ Juniper thought, with a touch of yearning of hys own. After a moment of warm silence, they broke apart to let Callie get a full look at the group. Mara looked as if she was about to pass out, so Juniper reached out a hand to help her onto the softly stuffed couch a few steps away. She took hys hand with a strained nod of thanks, following hym as they sat down together. She seemed to collapse the minute her hand rested on the material, her head falling to rest on hys shoulder. Their hands still laced together as she fell asleep, her grip slowly loosening. A strange calm seemed to envelope hym. A tear threatened to fall down hys cheek, but hy blinked it away.

Marie and Callie sent teasing smirks hys way as they sat down, each with their respective partners. Cuttlefish walked towards the stew, stirring it a bit and helping himself to a bowl. Things seemed to get fuzzy as hys eyelids drooped, and hy heard the Captain begin to explain the story of what happened in the metro, but the voice sounded far off, staticy. as hys eyelids finally came to a close, scenes began to play in hys brain like an endless movie screen. memories of getting lost in dark hallways, surrounded by sanitized soldiers, of breaking through glass once a distress signal was received, of waking up to the sound of garbled phone static and burning bright turquoise ink being shot at hys eye. The shrill scream, the agony and scraping, trying to get it off. the feeling of being controlled without your own will. the feeling of sinking into your deepest consciousness as you're forced to fight someone you wished you could befriend, _but it never happens because the chance of making friends never arrives._

exhaustion tore at hys brain until hy couldn't do more than drift off, dreaming fleeting dreams beside the octoling that started it all.

\---

afternoon daylight streamed through the curtains of the shack, indistinct chatter streaming through the air. Juniper opened its eyes to Marie wrapping a bandage around Maras hip on the kitchen table, and Callie putting away stitching materials. Mara herself seemed to be doing better, no pained expression constantly resting on her face. I'm glad, it thought with a smirk that didn't quite meet its eyes. it still didn't feel the best, but most of its exhaustion was mental. The gentle care reminded it of when it first injured itself in Octo Valley, of Marie's tender strokes as she wrapped a bandage around its leg. It stood up from the couch and was met with a bout of dizziness, but shook it off with a stretch. “Juni! You’re finally up!” Callie reacted with a playful jab in their voice, leaving the cupboard to inspect it closer. “You know i don’t like that nickname, right?” it responded in lighthearted annoyance, not really meaning it. It appreciated the care and love behind the nickname. 

Only now did it notice the blood stained strip of cape splayed on the counter, before looking up at Mara seated on the counter. “Juni, huh?” she said with a smile, a twinge of confusion on her brow. _Ah shit we never got eachothers names-_ it thought, before stammering a reply. “It's uh, Juniper. Sorry-” it explained, with a snicker from Callie behind it. It wanted to jab them with an elbow, but they were too far. “Ah, apologies. I'm Mara Takoya, from the Suction-Cup Lookout district.” she replied with formality, and a clear octarian accent. After a moment of silence from a partially shocked Juniper, a blush crept across her cheeks. She waved her hands in dismissal, “im used to introducing myself like that.” she rushed with an embarrassed smile. “I-it’s fine, don’t worry.” Juniper hurriedly stammered. The octoling nodded, the blush fading. Her gaze swept towards Marie, who had been watching the whole ordeal as well. “Is there anything else I could help you with, Miss Marie?” she asked, a gleam in her eye. _She somehow manages to be confident all the time-_ it thought with a twinge of jealousy.

Marie shook her head, “me and Callie can deal with Junipers injuries just fine, thank you for the offer though, Mara.” she replied in a kind voice, waving her hand towards it. It gave a sigh, never really enjoying having to be patched up, but glad for the help. It walked over to a chair, letting Callie and Marie do their work.

\- 🐙 -

A cool breeze ruffled the octarians tentacles as she walked out of the cabin. She’d never really had the chance to look around the outpost, the only memory she really had of it was from when she was very little, when her family moved stations. She let out a sigh, breathing in the fall air. She scanned the surroundings: flailing plastic warning tape tied to twisted metal poles, many signs reading “keep out!”, or more specifically “inklings keep out!”. One specific thing caught her eye, a pinkish-red heap sitting in a sparkling globe. Mara raised an eyebrow in confusion, slowly walking towards it. As she got closer, she realized it was an octarian. A large green star shaped scar rested atop one of its tentacles, and it wore a large headpiece. After a moment of staring, realization dawned on her. “Emperor Octavio?” she said quietly, tapping on the glass. The height of the globe just about matched her own, so she was looking down at the king inside. The glass itself was slightly cracked, simple band-aids keeping the cracks closed. That’s a bit concerning- she thought, making a mental note to mention it to one of the Cuttlefish cousins. 

The octarian stirred at the mention of his name, looking up blearily with an angry expression. “What do you-” he was beginning to say before cutting himself off, looking up at the octoling standing before him. He quickly righted himself, having the air of an emperor again, instead of a captured heap of meat. She sat respectfully in front of him; she didn’t have too much of a grudge against him compared to other octarians. She enjoyed her work, the mind control was an unnecessary annoyance. _Maybe you just enjoyed it because it was the only thing you knew._ A voice whispered at the back of her head, but she shook it away. I can’t let insecurities bother me. She thought firmly. “You’re from the Takoya family, aren’t you?” Octavio asked in his garbled voice, speaking octarian for both security and familiarity. “Yes, i am Mara from the Suction-Cup Lookout.” she explained, feeling much less embarrassed compared to earlier. He grumbled, “oh shush child. There's no need for formality with me anymore. I'm stuck in this blasted snowglobe once again.” 

Mara stared, a bit shocked at his reply. “Well, you must’ve done something to warrant that, sir.” she shot back, with a twinge of apprehension. The Emperor's temper was known to be a bit rash. But instead of an angry remark, he let out an annoyed sigh. “You’re not the only one to say that.” he replied, a slight bit of emotion in his old voice. _He seems… regretful_ she thought, taking in a moment of silence. The air was tinged with tension, but it wasn’t exactly negative.. Just regret filled and silent. Octavio shifted his position, growing more relaxed. “Enough about me now, tell me about yourself young Mara. I never really had the chance to really speak to my people these past decades.” he offered, waving a tentacle as a welcome gesture. Her brow lifted, not expecting the near familiarity in his tone. But, she was enjoying hanging out with the ruler. _He really isn’t as one dimensional as everyone portrays._

“Well, i'm not too sure. I wasn’t the biggest figure in my family. I was known for being stubborn and well hearted, although I apparently show it in slightly _different_ ways.” she started with a laugh, the sound warm and playful. “My brother is a mechanic. I've never been very good with physical work like that, although I do enjoy fighting. But my main passion is poetry.” she continued to explain, twiddling with her pointed fingers as she did so. Octavio nodded, a slightly amused expression on his face even though he didn't exactly have a visible mouth. “Sounds pleasant. Your brother is Micah Takoya, correct?” he asked, and she nodded a simple reply. “Yes, yes, i remember that name. He worked on Octosniper technology with the now missing General Lyth. Very good with his metal, that boy is.” he rambled, very much sounding like an old man. A calm smile rested on Mara's face. She enjoyed talking to Octavio, hearing good things about her sibling as well. “Yeah, he often came home with grease stains on his face or hands. My mom used to complain about it all the time.” she replied with a playful laugh, short memories playing through her head. With all the nostalgia, she nearly forgot what had recently happened.

Her face turned dour, bringing a hand to her bandaged hip, shooting her hand back with a pained grimace once a finger rested on the sore area. DJ Octavio looked curiously at the bandages, “seems like you’ve got some battle scars as well.” he joked with a slightly serious tone. He passed a glance towards his own tentacle, where the signature green scar lay. Mara followed his gaze as well, before looking back up into his green and purple eyes. She just gave a slow nod, not wanting to reminisce. The other octoling nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. “Why don’t you go look around? I'm sure you’ve had enough of my antics.” he offered calmly, a yawn raking through him. She gave a thankful smile, “I appreciated talking to you today. I’ll visit again someday.” she replied as she got up, waving a goodbye.

The music of Octo Canyon drifted through her ears as she wandered through Tentakeel Outpost, looking off into the distance. Inkopolis was shining in the distance as the sun slowly made its way back down the sky once again. She breathed in a few deep breaths, fully revelling in the feeling of being home once again. _And I've still got much more ahead._ She thought as she walked back to the cabin, that same determined gleam in her eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading !! a part two of this chapter is currently in the works :]
> 
> 🦑🐙💕

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be posting this and the first chapter en masse !!  
> apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes-
> 
> hope you enjoy :]]
> 
> 🦑🐙💕


End file.
